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Friday, January 27, 2012

Mercedes Benz not engaging in first gear?

Only simple fix would be linkage and the likelihood of getting the selector in Just the right position as to confuse the transmission is basically nil.

There is service bulletin for this problems on manual transmission Mercedes Benz.

The bulletin says its transmission related issue.In this problem the transmission needs to be lubricated at proper transmission repair shop or at MB dealership.

If it will not go in gear at all, then it could be the gear shift linkage.
If it just grinds gears it's likely the clutch slave cylinder.

Check the brake master cylinder for fluid, if it is low add fluid, quite often Mercedes uses the same reservoir for both hydraulic systems. If it's low you have a leak somewhere, and the system isn't moving the clutch pressure plate enough, look for that leak.

Check the release mechanism. The clutch master or slave may be leaking. If it is really low, there is already air in the system and topping it off may not fix it. I am not familiar with that setup but my guess is that the slave pushes on a release lever. Make sure that it is not worn or bent.

The other possibility is that the splines on the input shaft are gummed up which would not allow the disc to slide freely. This could cause the disc to stay in contact with the flywheel with just enough friction to cause these problems. This would require the removal of the transmission. Once you get that far, you might as well put a new clutch in it.